Breaking The Ice
by HeroxPartnerfan96
Summary: After being forced to fight against her own allies, Flora feels that she can never be forgiven for her actions. Can a certain Hoshidan prince, who happens to share the same experience as her, talk some sense into her before she makes a big mistake? Birthright one-shot, AU of Chapter 17


**Breaking The Ice**

The Ice Village was often known as a small, humble area; in spite of the freezing weather and blizzards that were often enough for some people to start to wonder how anyone could actually live there, it was still a peaceful area with many habitants that made it their home. However, on this particular day, things were proving to be a very different story. The aftermath of a battle was occurring in the main area of the village: Corrin and his allies had just finished battling Flora, who had gathered various of the villagers in an effort to bring the group down after the influence of threats directed from King Garon. Evidently, the efforts proved to be unsuccessful, as Corrin and the others had come out victorious. As the young sky-blue haired maid stood before the group with an expression of dismay, Corrin slowly stepped forward before stopping directly in front of her, a firm expression clearly visible on his face.

"You left me no choice, Flora. I've been as merciful as I can be, but I need to hear it from you. What is Garon threatening you with?" The half dragon prince firmly asked; if the tone of his voice was any kind of indicator, it was apparent that Corrin wanted to know the truth behind the reason Flora had attacked him and his allies. There was silence from the maid for a few moments as she was obviously reluctant to say anything, but then she let out a sigh of defeat as it became clear to her that she didn't appear to have a choice; she had to tell them, as much as she didn't want to.

"I guess it's all over. I have nothing left to lose, so…" Flora fell silent for a few seconds before she spoke again. "Garon said that he would destroy my entire village if I didn't cooperate." Once this was said, the sounds of simultaneous gasps of shock could be heard from the group, with the exception of Corrin, as he could only stare with an expression of horror upon hearing this, before it was quickly replaced with an expression of determination before he spoke again.

"You see? This is exactly why we must stand against him!" Corrin stated; it was clear to him that Garon would stop at nothing to bring down both Hoshido and Nohr through this war, and that the only way to save the two kingdoms would be to stop him at all costs. Flora quickly shook her head in response, realising that Corrin didn't seem to realise the situation that she had been placed in.

"But you don't understand! Garon said that if I didn't kill you and Felicia myself, he'd kill everyone in the village and burn it to the ground!" Flora desperately replied. This response seemed to stun Corrin into silence as he could only stare in shock as the reality of the situation Flora had been placed into slowly started to sink in. It seemed that he wasn't the only one to take notice of the situation, though, as from where he was standing amongst the group, Takumi slowly stepped forward having heard every word of what they were saying and he could only stare in stunned silence. Flora then let out a small sigh before she continued. "I made the toughest choice of my life. To protect many at the expense of a few…" Corrin darted his glance back and forth with an expression of worry showing on his face before he turned his glance back up to Flora, while she continued to look to him in shame.

"Flora… How could you be sure that Garon would even keep his promise to spare your village?" Corrin worriedly asked. Flora could only keep her glance on Corrin in silence before she closed her eyes and slowly shook her head in response; it was clear as day to see that the guilt caused by her actions was starting to catch up with her.

"I know… but it was that or risk certain destruction. He gave me thirty seconds to make a decision before killing me on the spot. Being weak and afraid of death… I shamefully decided to betray you." Flora quietly explained, slowly hanging her head in sadness while she was talking; if the expression of guilt written on her face was much to go by, it was evident that she was starting to realise the mistake that she had made. Corrin watched her in silence for a few moments before he slowly walked up to her and placed one hand on her shoulder, prompting her to turn her glance up to him, and she could see the soft expression of concern on his face.

"None of this is your fault, Flora. I just wish you'd trusted that we could help you…" Corrin softly explained; he didn't hold any resentment towards Flora for her actions, and he completely understood the reasons behind why she did what she did, but the thing that hurt him the most was the feeling that she didn't trust him or the others enough to help her with what she was going through. Flora then slowly reached up to Corrin's arm with one hand and pushed it off of her shoulder, while he could only stare in surprise.

"Well, nothing will change the fact that I betrayed you. Not to mention my own flesh and blood." Flora quietly replied, turning her glance to spot Felicia standing there and watching the whole scene in silence, showing an expression of evident worry for her sister. "For that… I deserve to die." Flora then stated, closing her eyes and bowing her head in shame; it was clear to tell that she felt that she could never be forgiven for what she had done.

As Corrin, Felicia and Jakob, who happened to be standing right beside Felicia while he was watching the ordeal, could only stare in shock, Takumi could only watch in stunned silence and he turned his glance down as he thought about everything that Flora had said: he could clearly identify with Flora's situation of feeling like he had betrayed his own allies, because that was exactly what he felt at one point himself. While he couldn't remember the exact details of what had happened, he did know that he had attacked his own allies under the influence of some kind of possession. He remembered experiencing feelings of immense guilt and shame over what he had done, until Corrin stepped in and reminded him that if he truly felt that he could never be forgiven for what he had done, then that could be the chance for him to redeem himself for his mistakes.

' _Flora must be experiencing the same feelings that I once did, feeling that she can't be forgiven for the mistakes she's made. I know firsthand how painful that can be, but that doesn't mean she has to do anything drastic. She has all of us to turn to; she has Corrin, her own sister, and they both want to help her in any way they can, just like what Corrin did for me. And… maybe I could help her too.'_ Takumi thought to himself, turning his glance up to Flora as he slowly came to the realisation that maybe he could help her overcome her feelings of guilt, just like how Corrin did the same thing for him. Just then, he was broken out of his chain of thought as he heard Corrin's voice speak up again, directing his attention to Flora.

"Flora… please don't be so hard on yourself." Corrin softly said, showing an expression of concern upon hearing Flora out. He then turned his head to see Jakob and Felicia walking over, with the former nodding in agreement while the latter simply watched in worry, before turning her glance to the butler as he spoke up.

"Yes. You've been foolish, but we have survived. Now it's time to regroup." Jakob agreed. Felicia nodded in agreement before turning her glance to her sister with a comforting smile on her face. "See, Sister? It's all over. All is forgiven. Please come talk to me." Felicia added, the smile on her face clearly saying that all she wanted to do was be there for Flora and help her overcome her troubles. Takumi then started to step forward, as if he wanted to say something too. There was silence from Flora for a few moments before she showed a firm expression, almost as if she had come to a decision.

"Everyone… GET BACK!" Flora ordered, before slowly raising an arm up to the sky, and a stream of magical fire surrounded her; she knew that she had made mistakes she felt she could never be forgiven, and it seemed clear to her that the only way to pay for her mistakes was with her own life. Unfortunately, this didn't seem to favour well with the others, if their expressions of horror were much to go by.

"Flora… NO!" Felicia cried, covering her mouth with both hands in horror as she realised just what her sister was trying to do. Takumi let out a gasp of shock as he could see what was going on from where he was standing. While Jakob's words fell silent on his ears, he could hear exactly what Corrin was saying loud and clear.

"Oh gods, no! Flora… what have you done?!" Corrin gasped, as he could only show an expression of shock as he watched the scene on in horror. As Takumi watched on in shock, he turned his glance to Flora as she lowered her arm, clearly noticing the shock and horror written all over her allies' faces as they realised what she was doing.

"This is what I should have done the moment Garon threatened me. Perhaps I could have taken him out with me…" Flora softly replied. Takumi stared in stunned silence before turning his glance down; he could see just how devastated Felicia was watching her sister end her own life right in front of her eyes, and he remembered that what Flora was experiencing was exactly what he had felt. He then turned his glance upwards and nodded with a firm expression showing on his face; there was no chance that he was going to stand by and watch an innocent soul end her own life due to events beyond her control. If there was a chance for him to do something and try to save her, he had to take it before it was too late. So without a moment, he rushed forward while the others watched in surprise.

"Flora, stop! You don't have to do this!" Takumi called out. Corrin and Felicia turned their heads in surprise to see Takumi standing there while Flora turned her glance to spot him watching her, noticing the expression of determination showing on his face.

"Prince Takumi? Please don't try to save me; this is what I deserve. I've made a mistake that I can never be forgiven for, and I must pay for it." Flora stated with a firm expression on her face; it seemed that she felt her mind couldn't be changed about her decision. Takumi seemed to beg to differ, however, as he quickly shook his head in response.

"No, that's not true. This isn't the right thing to do; it doesn't have to end like this! I know exactly what you've been though; I know how it feels to feel like you've betrayed your own allies, and to feel like you can never be forgiven for it." Takumi explained. Flora's firm expression changed into one of surprise, like she was wondering what Takumi was trying to say to her. Seeing that she seemed to be listening to him, Takumi knew that he had to continue, no matter how much it would hurt him inside to bring up his own experiences, but at the same time, he knew that it would be essential if it meant preventing Flora from making a mistake she could never take back. "I've been where you are, Flora. I've made the same mistakes that you have made! I might not remember exactly what happened, but I do know that I was controlled by some kind of darkness and I was forced to attack my own allies, having no control over my own actions. You wouldn't believe how much it hurt me inside to find out about what I had done; I felt as though I could never show my face in Hoshido again! But I also realised that it wasn't too late for me, that I could make up for the mistakes I made, and that goes for you too!"

Flora could only stare in stunned silence for a few moments before she slowly shook her head in response; it seemed as though she didn't believe what Takumi was telling her, and to be honest, he found it hard to blame her for thinking that. "Even if I could… how would anyone believe me? How would I ever be able to show anyone that what I had done didn't matter? Why would anyone want to give me a second chance after what I have done?" she asked in response. Takumi was silent for a few moments once he heard this; that sounded all too familiar to him as it was exactly what he had asked himself, and he knew that he had to make that clear to Flora. So, hoping that she would continue to hear him out while the others continued to watch in silence, he spoke again.

"That was exactly what I would ask myself: I would wonder why anyone would want to give me another chance after seeing the things I had done. But despite what I had done, everyone has been willing to give me that chance; I've been doing whatever I can to make up for the things I've done, and everyone here has allowed me to have that chance! They all believe in me and they've forgiven me for my mistakes, and they want to help me overcome my feelings of guilt because they know that I can still redeem myself. And now they want to do the same thing for you too; they all forgive you, and they want to see you do the right thing and they want to be there for you when those feelings of guilt come back to you." Takumi continued. Flora's firm expression slowly faded and changed into one of guilt and shame as the realisation of the mistake she was making started to set in and she seemed to realise that Takumi was right; she did still have a chance to redeem herself and make up for what she had done wrong, and she had the most wonderful allies who were more than willing to give her that chance. There was just the matter of whether or not she would be willing to allow herself that chance. As everything started to sink in for Flora, Takumi's voice rang out to her again and she turned her glance up to listen to him.

"Don't you see, Flora? If you truly feel that you can never be forgiven for what you have done, then that should give you all the more of a reason for you to try and redeem yourself. I know it sounds like it might be impossible, and that's what I thought to myself as well, but you're not alone: we'll all be here to help you and support you in any way we can, but that can only happen if you'll be willing to give yourself that chance! The only one who can make that choice for you… is you." Takumi then showed a reassuring smile and reached his hand out to Flora, like he was offering it to her for her to take, and he could only remain silent as he waited to see what her choice would be.

Flora could only turn her head away in silence as she seemed to think over what she wanted to do; she had made mistakes that she genuinely felt immense regret and remorse for, and she still believed that she could never be forgiven for what she had done. But somehow, in the midst of her guilt driven thoughts echoing in her mind, trying to tell her that she didn't deserve forgiveness, Takumi's words managed to break through: she did have a chance to redeem herself for the things she had done, and everyone standing before her were ready to give her the chance to do just that. If they were able to forgive Takumi for what he had done, then surely he was telling the truth to her about her having that same chance; the sincerity in his voice while he was speaking seemed to make that clear to her. She then slowly turned her head back to see Takumi offering his hand to him and the smile of reassurance on his face, like he was trying to tell her that it would be alright. She then turned her glance to see the reactions of the others watching everything: Felicia had covered her eyes with both of her hands as she couldn't bear to watch this any longer, Jakob was only staring in shock and Corrin had his eyes closed and his hands clasped together tightly as if he was praying for her to make the right decision. That seemed to be what did Flora in as she felt tears slowly building in her eyes as she watched their reactions; she started to realise just how devastated they would be if she threw her life away like this when she had the chance to redeem herself, especially her beloved sister. She then turned her glance back to Takumi and, with a small smile showing on her face, she raised her arm into the air and the stream of fire faded, with her still standing safe and sound. While he watched in amazement, seeing exactly what she had done, she placed her hand into his with a grateful smile slowly showing on her face.

"Thank you, Prince Takumi… Thank you for saving me." Flora softly said. Takumi simply smiled back and nodded, as if to say 'You're welcome, Flora. I'm so glad you made the right choice'.

Realising that she could no longer hear the sounds of crackling fire, Felicia slowly lowered her hands from her face to be met with a miraculous sight: there stood her sister, safe and sound. As soon as she noticed, that was when she understood what this meant: she had made the choice not to end her life, and she had Takumi to thank for it. It didn't take very long for her fear and despair to fade away and instead be filled with joy and relief that Flora was safe. "Oh, Sister!" Felicia cried, feeling tears of happiness building in her eyes before she rushed over to Flora, causing her and Takumi to turn their heads with matching expressions of surprise to see her running over, and tackled her sister in a tight hug; she was holding onto Flora so tight that she didn't seem to want to let go out of fear that she would lose her sister again. "Flora… I'm so glad… you're okay…" Felicia whispered, struggling to speak amidst her feelings of joy and relief that her sister was still here with her. Flora looked down at her sister in silence before she slowly wrapped her arms around her.

"Felicia… I'm so sorry I made you worry…" Flora softly stated, with an expression of sadness showing on her face at the realisation of how much worry and despair she had caused Felicia through her choice. While this was happening, Corrin slowly opened his eyes to find out what was going on, and he let out a silent gasp of amazement at what he was seeing: Flora was still standing here, and Felicia had her arms wrapped around her in a tight hug, like she was afraid of letting go lest she lose her sister again. He then felt a smile of relief cross his face as he realised what this meant, before he slowly walked to Takumi who was watching the two sisters with a bright smile.

"Takumi… you saved her. I don't believe it…" Corrin softly said, while Takumi turned his glance to the prince seeing the smile of relief on his face while he watched Felicia and Flora. Takumi simply let out a chuckle before he showed a bright smile while Corrin watched him in surprise, wondering what was so funny about all of this.

"I just reminded her of exactly what you told me. I didn't think I'd be able to convince her, to be completely honest." Takumi replied. Corrin could only show a grateful smile to Takumi for stepping in and helping Flora when she felt she didn't have a chance at redemption, before he turned his glance back to see Felicia and Flora, with the former now finally deciding to let go of her sister and wipe her eyes to brush the tears away. As he watched the two, Corrin simply let out a soft sigh of relief to himself, glad to see that things ended well.

Back with Flora, she turned her head to spot Corrin watching on with a smile of relief on his face before she slowly walked over to him, with Felicia following not too far behind her. "Lord Corrin, I'm truly sorry for everything I've done against you. Can you… forgive me?" Flora worriedly asked, with an expression of dismay showing on her face, while Felicia turned her glance to her sister in worry seeing just how upset she was by what had happened. Corrin stared at her in silence for a few moments before a sincere smile showed on his face and he slowly nodded in confirmation.

"Of course, Flora. I'm just so glad to see you made the right choice. Thank the gods…" Corrin replied, placing both of his hands over his heart in relief during this last statement, still experiencing immense relief from the fact that Flora had decided to live and do whatever she could to make up for her mistakes. Flora let out a giggle upon seeing this, while Felicia couldn't help showing a bright smile as she took notice of Corrin's display of relief as well.

"I didn't happen to make that choice on my own. I had someone there to remind me that it wasn't too late for me." Flora commented. She then turned her glance to Takumi, sending a smile of gratitude in his direction for his support and encouragement. Takumi couldn't help but smile back at her, feeling glad to know that he was able to help her in her most desperate hour, and remind her that she would be able to redeem herself, and just like her, he had a feeling that was exactly what she would end up doing.


End file.
